by Sienna Mynx
Giovanni waited for Ballistrieri to flex his pride, but the Don remained silent. He leveled his gaze on Santoro. “Your risk will be greater than any man in this room if you join the Camorristi and break from the Puglia clans. But so, will be your reward. You must decide now while my door is open. Or walk out of it and we will deal with our enemies when the time comes. All of our enemies.”
Don Santoro glanced around at the men seated. His gaze returned to Giovanni. “I don’t trust you. I don’t think anyone in this room should. You were the capu di tutti capi and thanks to Lorenzo that title means little to anyone right now. The men who have sat at this table with you before in la Camorra are all dead or in prison. Have you all forgotten Francesco Mottola? How Giovanni used his own underboss Guiliani to bring down the Mottola clan. I have not. I’ve watched from my ‘dirt farm’ what happens in the Campania to your brotherhood when Giovanni wants something greater.”
The comment sat unchallenged by anyone in the room before Santoro continued. “These Campania clans held strong to that alliance you offered, let you take the title only a true Italian should have had. And their shortsightedness has cost us all. Now you say join you for a reward? Ballistrieri, Giovanni killed your flesh and blood and tossed you the spoils. Never trust the man with the knife to your throat. Always stay ready and prepared. If we align we need to be fucking honest about who he is and what we will be. I know what war looks like and I know what it brings. I knew most of your fathers who are dead now because of divided loyalties. The Santoros will join the alliance, but not as your pet Giovanni, as an equal,” The Don said. “We will hold to omertá to the very end. Even if it is your end.”
“The Anastasio clan will join the alliance,” said Don Anastasio.
“The Cardinelli’s will join the alliance,” said Joseph Cardinelli staking claim to his family of fishermen who have always lived off the scraps tossed to them by the Racchi clan.
“The Taccetta’s will join the alliance,” said Frances Taccetta who had once been a powerful leader in the Ndrangheta but after an assassination attempt moved his family south of Naples to start again.
“The Morales will join the alliance,” said Andre Morales who lead nothing more than a gang of misfits. And in doing so turned enough profits from smuggling contraband to give an official name to his clan.
“The Ballistrieri will join the alliance,” said Drago Ballistrieri now the owner of everything Don Piero Tacchini had taken his entire life to build.
Giovanni picked up his glass. Dominic went around the table pouring the vino from Chianti that the Battaglias have cultivated for over a century. “Viva la Camorra!”
“Viva la Cammora,” The new Dons of the Camorristi agreed.
“Cin, cin,” Giovanni said and took a sip. He smirked at Santoro, who gave him the same challenging look.
“Cin, cin,” said the old Don Santoro.
“CIA BELLA,” LEO SAID.
She paused in the hall and then turned to be sure she heard him. Belinda blinked at Leo as he walked towards her.
“What are you doing here? Eve said you were sent away.”
“Eve?” Leo frowned.
“I heard you were sent away?”
“I come to work. Everyone works on the night la Camorra visits Melanzana. Even me. I look everywhere,” he said. “For you.”
She smiled.
“Say something,” he pleaded.
“The Donna has me confined to my room.”
“This I know,” he nodded.
“I can’t go anywhere in this mausoleum without her permission. The only entertainment I have is a five-year-old brat who is smarter than me.”
“Mi dispiace—I’m sorry. If I can help?”
“Do you have enough money to buy me a ticket to go back to America?”
“You want to go home?”
“Home? Hell no. I’m going to Los Angeles. To be an actress. Screw them all. Mirabella ran away when she was my age. Look at what she became. I won’t let them send me back. No fucking way.”
“Maybe you can go home first. Then leave... it’s safer.”
“I can’t,” she mumbled.
“Why?” he touched her hand.
“They don’t want me okay!” she snatched her hand from his. “I called my father and he put my ma on the phone. They won’t send for me. Told me I must stay here. Learn my lessons. I’m trapped. This was all a set up.”
“I can’t help—”
She shrugged. “Then why offer to help?”
“The Don and Donna, they say—.”
“I need to go, excuse me,” she turned away. He caught her hand. She glanced back at him. Leo pulled her a little closer.
“They say we can be friends. They aren’t punishing me. They punish, but not too harshly. I come back in a few days. We try again? Friends? Stay. No America. Stay in Italy. With me.”
“I don’t want to be your friend,” she pulled her hand from his. “Are you desperate? Don’t you remember what I did to you?”
Leo blinked at her as if confused.
“Don’t you know I used you? The car, I jumped from it. You were right. There was nothing wrong with the door. The cellar? I had Eve spying on you. I went down there to get caught. I did it on purpose. You should hate me.”
“Why play these games?” Leo frowned.
“I don’t fucking know. They used to be fun... now, it’s pathetic. I’m sorry, okay? You’re a nice person and I like having sex with you, but you don’t want to get messed up with me. I’m not... who you think.”
“Who are you?”
“Stupid. El stupido, okay!” she confessed. “Stay away from me before someone gets hurt. And trust me, I don’t have enough feelings left for you for it to be me.”
Belinda walked off. She half expected for him to stop her. He was that kind of guy. But when she glanced back Leo had already turned and walked away. Her stomach was twisted into the tightest knot. She lied. She was good at it. The truth was she hated herself for being such a disaster. The Donna was right. She could have cost Leo his life and she didn’t bother to stop once and consider that. Something was wrong with her, even her parents had given up. She was a lost cause.
She wiped her tears away before she rejoined the ladies. She pushed all thoughts of Leo from her mind.
“Everything okay, sweetie?” Kyra asked.
Belinda nodded.
“Hey? Are you sure?”
“I said I’m fine. What do you need me to do?”
“How about you model some shoes for me? Got them all in size eleven.”
“Did Mirabella say it was okay?” Belinda mumbled.
Kyra smiled. Belinda saw Mirabella watching. “Go on, I pick my models. The Donna won’t mind.”
“Thanks!” Belinda said with relief.
THE NIGHT ENDED TWO hours after Mirabella escorted the last guest to the door. Giovanni had a meeting with his men. Mirabella was left to tend to the staff’s mission of collecting the leftovers to be taken by trucks to the church missionaries for donation. The duty pushed her past her limit. When she escaped to her room her feet were swollen and red. She felt as if she walked on stilts for half of the evening. The very first thing she did was kick off her shoes and leave them by the bedroom door.
The next important task was her children. Mirabella had decided last month that with the new baby it was time for the kids to all have their own room. She was having two rooms remodeled on this floor for them. But for now, her babies slept in the adjoining room. She peeked in on her kids. They slept like angels. She closed the door to the kid’s bedroom with a smile. Her children were the greatest accomplishment in her life. Lately she’d lost sight of that. She made a silent vow to spend more time with them as she began to undress. Once her belly was freed from the tight cinching waistline she felt such a release of tension and the pressures of being Donna Battaglia she didn’t bother to cover her nudity. She felt a soft flutter in her lower tummy. It was gentler than a brush of butterfly wings.
“It’s okay baby, mama will not cover her pregnancy again I promise you.” The feeling of her baby faded but the joy still radiated within her. She couldn’t wait for more sensations to come. She couldn’t wait for the baby kicks. Giovanni loved to touch her belly when the twins kicked. It was the best part of her pregnancy.
“Well that’s it. Maybe we do need a break,” she said. Mirabella found her robe and covered herself. She then sat on the bench beneath the windowsill. She stared out at the stars. So much had changed for her in the past six years. Her life was nothing like she remembered it. And upon reflecting she had to wonder what would have happened if the war between Lorenzo and Giovanni never started? Would she be vacationing on Lake Cuomo with Marietta waiting on the birth of her niece or nephew? Would she and her sister swap design and decorating ideas for their children’s nurseries? Would Giovanni have found a way by now to legitimize his business and pull away from the danger and uncertainty of their life?
The ‘what if’s’ plagued her often.
Out of nowhere the door to her bedroom was thrown open. Her husband walked in tossing it shut behind him. And the hard slam disrespected the sanctity she and her children coveted in their room. He didn’t see her seated by the windowsill. He stopped at the dresser and unclipped his gun then dropped it on top. He took off his watch and ring and put them in the jewelry dish. She could hear grunts of curse words from him as he leaned against the dresser with both hands and bowed his head. Giovanni then snatched off his blazer and tossed it to the floor. He opened one dresser drawer then the next slamming them shut in search of something. He then looked up at his reflection in the mirror. He paused. She almost spoke to him at this point, but his rage spoke louder. He slammed his fist into the mirror. It didn’t shatter but the mirror splintered with many spider web cracks from the center. One of their kids began to cry out for her.
“Gio?”
He turned and looked dazed by her sudden appearance as if he didn’t know who she was or where he was.
“What’s wrong?” she asked.
When he didn’t answer she shook her head and went to check on her bambini. Gino was standing in the toddler crib crying. She reached in for him and picked him up.
“No, non piangere—no, no don’t cry.” She peppered his cherub cheeks with kisses. Eve didn’t wake and Gianni lay still sucking his pacifier watching them. Her sons were now three and still insisted on sleeping together in the crib they could easily escape from.
“Everything is okay. Gino, Gino, basta piangere. Shhhh... hush now.”
When Gino finally settled down she laid him down. Gianni rolled in closer and dropped his arm around Gino’s neck to comfort him. Her son stared up at her. Usually Gino wasn’t so easily distressed. In his blue eyes she saw more than fear, she saw sadness. It broke her heart. Mirabella smiled and squeezed his foot. Gianni put his pacifier into Gino’s mouth. That seemed to do the trick. Both boys settled back down. With a burdened sigh she left their room and was careful to close the door. She found her husband seated on the edge of the bed. He had wrapped a long hand-towel around his bleeding knuckles.
“I’ll call downstairs and get one of the men to wake your doctor.”
“My hand’s fine,” he mumbled. “You fix it.”
“You’re bleeding all over the place.” She looked around at the blood.
“Fix it. And then sit. Let’s have our talk.”
She left the room. She had to go downstairs to the kitchen to get the medical kit and bring it back upstairs. When she returned she found him where she left him. She tightened her robe and sat next to him. She put his hand in her lap. Years ago she learned how to mend superficial wounds. There were times when he’d come home to her inebriated and bleeding. Times that they didn’t reflect on often. And he’d insist she take care of him. At first it frightened her. Soon she learned that stitching his skin was no different than stitching the hem on a dress.
She learned how to be a good wife.
Mirabella inspected his hand. The gash wasn’t too deep, but the cut was long. He needed stitches. First she worked on cleaning away the blood. Giovanni kept his head bowed.
“Tell me,” she said softly.
“It won’t hold.”
“The alliance?”
“They accepted. But it won’t hold. I’m no longer a man of my word. Lorenzo exposed me.”
“Gambetta?”
Giovanni nodded. “And Tacchini. Killing my friend has made me weak in their eyes. They don’t trust me.”
“They don’t need to trust you Gio. They need to fear you,” she said.
He looked up at her. “If this is to work I need to trust them.”
“Then trust them to be the enemy. Use that knowledge in your favor. And make new friends.”
He stared at her and she remained focused on her work.
“There’s more,” he said.
“There always is.”
“I’m not talking about the coalition. I’m talking about the men. Half of them who work for me were handpicked by Lorenzo. And if Lorenzo could betray me so could any man I call brother. My own men. I don’t trust them like I did before.”
“Of course, you can trust them. Carlo, Nico, Renaldo, Domi... that’s your brotherhood. They are loyal to you.”
“The jury is still out on Carlo.”
“Why?” she paused.
“He loves Lorenzo. He won’t easily betray him.”
“He will keep his vow to you Gio. Hasn’t he already?”
“Has he? He’s in Africa, my sources say he spends most of his days high on Opium and fucking whores.”
“It doesn’t mean he can’t be trusted.”
“I’d never trust my family and our lives on a junkie. If Carlo is slipping I need to have a better plan.”
Mirabella sighed. “It’s getting dangerous. These plans, and side plans, too many to keep up with.”
Giovanni winced and groaned.
“Sorry baby, I’m almost done.”
“Santoro is right about me Bella. I have broken more promises than I have kept. I ask for loyalty but I’m loyal to no one but you. Declaring war on Lorenzo has stripped away the reputation we built together. We did it, Bella. When Patri was cruel and the world was against me, Lorenzo and I did it together. Now, I must kill him. And he knows that. So, he will strike first, by using those who are closest to me. It’s how it’s done.”
“No, it’s not who we are as a clan—”
“What makes you so sure?” Giovanni snapped. She didn’t take offense. She knew he was suffering.
“You. You make me sure. When you were in a coma and near dead and I was left to hold it all together without you I saw the heart of your men. They could have wiped us out. They didn’t. Even Lorenzo in the moment of your greatest weakness reached over to help you. That’s the test, Gio. The true test. Baby give yourself some credit. Your men don’t just fear you. They love you.”
He heaved a deep sigh. He looked over at her once more. She tried to focus on sewing the skin over the open flesh wound but his silence made her look up into his eyes.
“You are my Queen. Do you know that?”
“Am I?”
He nodded. “Sometimes I forget how strong you make me.”
“I’m learning.”
“No, Bella. I’m learning. To trust you more, to believe in us more. I’m learning.”
She leaned over and gave him a kiss. “That’s the beauty of marriage, Gio. Having someone who truly completes you. When you bleed, so do I. So, stop hurting yourself, baby. I need you strong and well.”
He grabbed the back of her head with his free hand and brought her forehead to his. “Posso fare, e farò, di meglio—I can and I will do better.”
He let her go after another kiss. “I have something to tell you Bella. Something you won’t like.”
She chuckled. “Let’s hear it.”
“Everything changed tonight. The alliance is only strong if I make it strong. And I can only
make it strong from within.”
Mirabella stopped stitching his wound and looked into his eyes.
“I will be moving to Rome. I’ll be staying in Naples. I’ll live in the streets with them.”
“For how long?”
“As long as it takes.”
“No.”
“Please underst—”
“No. One of the perks of being the boss, Gio, is you don’t get into the ring with the fighters. You aren’t physically ready; the doctors have warned you.”
“The doctors have cleared me.”
“The baby? You’re telling me that the last months of our pregnancy you will be gone? What if you’re in Rome when I go into labor?”
“My jet can bring me faster than my car.”
“No!”
“We can’t trust anyone, not even family. No one but each other until this is over. Do you understand?”
“But I thought. I thought we had figured out a better way.”
“My men are in survival mode. They need me now more than I need them. And that could change. I must be careful. We must be careful of everyone. Do you understand? Lorenzo knows all of my weaknesses. You and the kids are my greatest. I can’t have him coming for me here in Sorrento. I have to level the battleground.”
She nodded. She cut the stitching and made sure it was knotted.
“Want to know what I think?” she began to bandage and dress the wound.
“Yes, Bella. Tell me what’s in that pretty head of yours.”
“I think you miss him,” she said. “I think you love him. I think the person you trust the least right now Gio, is yourself.”
His eyes stretched. She got up and went to the bathroom to get a clean rag and to wash her hands. He followed her.
“You think I can’t take down Lorenzo?” he said with disgust.
“Oh, I know you can Gio. I think the real problem is that you don’t want to. And that is why you’re so angry.” She washed her hands and peeked up at him. He was scowling at her. “It’s okay to love him, Gio. I love my sister. I know what she did is unforgivable. I know that I’ll never have her in my life again the way that I want. I know that. But I love her. And nothing is going to change that.”